Nucleotide sequences coding for the MtrA and/or MtrB proteins

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides nucleotide sequences from Coryneform bacteria which code for the MtrA and/or MtrB proteins and processes for the fermentative preparation of amino acids using bacteria in which the mtrA and/or mtrB genes are attenuated.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention provides nucleotide sequences from Coryneform bacteria which code for the MtrA and/or MtrB proteins and processes for the fermentative preparation of amino acids using bacteria in which the mtrA and/or mtrB genes are attenuated.

2. Discussion of the Background

L-Amino acids, in particular L-lysine, are used in human medicine and in the pharmaceuticals industry, in the foodstuffs industry and very particularly in animal nutrition.

It is known that amino acids are prepared by fermentation from strains of Coryneform bacteria, in particular Corynebacterium glutamicum. Because of their great importance, work is constantly being undertaken to improve the preparation processes. Improvements to the process can relate to fermentation measures, such as, for example, stirring and supply of oxygen, or the composition of the nutrient media, such as, for example, the sugar concentration during the fermentation, or the working up to the product form by, for example, ion exchange chromatography, or the intrinsic output properties of the microorganism itself.

Methods of mutagenesis, selection and mutant selection are used to improve the output properties of these microorganisms. Strains which are resistant to antimetabolites or are auxotrophic for metabolites of regulatory importance and which produce amino acids are obtained in this manner.

Methods of the recombinant DNA technique have also been employed for some years for improving the strain of Corynebacterium strains which produce L-amino acid, by amplifying individual amino acid biosynthesis genes and investigating the effect on the amino acid production.

However, there remains a critical need for improved methods of producing L-amino acids and thus for the provision of strains of bacteria producing higher amounts of L-amino acids. On a commercial or industrial scale even small improvements in the yield of L-amino acids, or the efficiency of their production, are economically significant. Prior to the present invention, it was not recognized that attenuating the mtrA and/or mtrB genes encoding response regulator and histidine protein kinase proteins, respectively, would improve L-amino acid yields.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide novel measures for the improved production of L-amino acids or amino acid, where these amino acids include L-asparagine, L-threonine, L-serine, L-glutamate, L-glycine, L-alanine, L-cysteine, L-valine, L-methionine, L-isoleucine, L-leucine, L-tyrosine, L-phenylalanine, L-histidine, L-lysine, L-tryptophan, L-arginine and the salts (monohydrochloride or sulfate) thereof.

One object of the present invention is providing a novel process for improving the fermentative production of said L-amino acids, particularly L-lysine. Such a process includes attenuated bacteria, preferably attenuated Coryneform bacteria, which express attenuated amounts MtrA and/or MtrB proteins or proteins that have response regulator or histidine protein kinase activities.

Thus, another object of the present invention is providing such a bacterium, which expresses an enhanced amount of the MtrA and/or MtrB proteins or gene products of the mtrA and/or mtrB genes.

Another object of the present invention is providing a bacterium, preferably a Coryneform bacterium, which expresses a polypeptide that has an attenuated MtrA response regulator and/or histidine protein kinase activities.

Another object of the invention is to provide a nucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide having the MtrA and/or MtrB sequences. One embodiment of such a sequence providing both mtrA and mtrB is the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1. Additionally, nucleotides 542 to 1219 of SEQ ID NO:1 comprise the MtrA coding region and nucleotides 1310 to 2818 comprise the MtrB coding region.

A further object of the invention is a method of making proteins or isolated polypeptides having MtrA response regulator and/or histidine protein kinase activities, as well as use of such isolated polypeptides in the production of amino acids. One embodiment of the MtrA polypeptide is the polypeptide having the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2. One embodiment of the MtrB polypeptide is the polypeptide having the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:3.

Other objects of the invention include methods of detecting nucleic acid sequences homologous to SEQ ID NO: 1, particularly nucleic acid sequences encoding polypeptides that have MtrA response regulator and/or histidine protein kinase activities, and methods of making nucleic acids encoding such polypeptides.

The above objects highlight certain aspects of the invention. Additional objects, aspects and embodiments of the invention are found in the following detailed description of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1: Map of the plasmid pCR2.1mtrAint.

FIG. 2: Map of the plasmid pCR2.1mtrBint.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art of molecular biology. Although methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the present invention, suitable methods and materials are described herein. All publications, patent applications, patents, and other references mentioned herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. In addition, the materials, methods, and examples are illustrative only and are not intended to be limiting.

Reference is made to standard textbooks of molecular biology that contain definitions and methods and means for carrying out basic techniques, encompassed by the present invention. See, for example, Sambrook et al., Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York (1989), Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, Ausebel et al (eds), John Wiley and Sons, Inc. New York (2000)and the various references cited therein.

“L-amino acids” or “amino acids” as used herein mean one or more amino acids, including their salts, chosen from the group consisting of L-asparagine, L-threonine, L-serine, L-glutamate, L-glycine, L-alanine, L-cysteine, L-valine, L-methionine, L-isoleucine, L-leucine, L-tyrosine, L-phenylalanine, L-histidine, L-lysine, L-tryptophan and L-arginine. L-Lysine is particularly preferred.

When L-lysine or lysine are mentioned in the following, not only the bases but also the salts, such as e.g. lysine monohydrochloride or lysine sulfate, are meant by this.

The invention provides an isolated polynucleotide from Coryneform bacteria, comprising a polynucleotide sequence which codes for the mtrA gene and/or the mtrB gene, chosen from the group consisting of

-   a) polynucleotide which is identical to the extent of at least 70%     to a polynucleotide which codes for a polypeptide which comprises     the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID No. 2, -   b) polynucleotide which is identical to the extent of at least 70%     to a polynucleotide which codes for a polypeptide which comprises     the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID No. 3, -   c) polynucleotide which codes for a polypeptide which comprises an     amino acid sequence which is identical to the extent of at least 70%     to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID No. 2, -   d) polynucleotide which codes for a polypeptide which comprises an     amino acid sequence which is identical to the extent of at least 70%     to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID No. 3, -   e) polynucleotide which is complementary to the polynucleotides of     a), b), c) or d), and -   f) polynucleotide comprising at least 15 successive nucleotides of     the polynucleotide sequence of a), b), c), d) or e),     the polypeptides preferably having the activity of the response     regulator MtrA and/or of the histidine protein kinase MtrB.

The invention also provides the above-mentioned polynucleotides, these preferably being DNAs which are capable of replication, comprising:

-   (i) the nucleotide sequence, in particular between positions 1 to     2717, shown in SEQ ID No.1, or -   (ii) at least one sequence which corresponds to sequence (i) within     the degeneracy of the genetic code, or -   (iii) at least one sequence which hybridizes with the sequences     complementary to sequences (i) or (ii), and optionally -   (iv) sense mutations of neutral function in (i) which do not modify     the activity of the protein/polypeptide.

Finally, the invention also provides polynucleotides chosen from the group consisting of

-   a) polynucleotides comprising at least 15 successive nucleotides     chosen from the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID No. 1 between     positions 1 and 541, -   b) polynucleotides comprising at least 15 successive nucleotides     chosen from the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID No. 1 between     positions 542 and 1219, -   c) polynucleotides comprising at least 15 successive nucleotides     chosen from the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID No. 1 between     positions 1220 and 1309, -   d) polynucleotides comprising at least 15 successive nucleotides     chosen from the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID No. 1 between     positions 1310 and 2717, -   e) polynucleotides comprising at least 15 successive nucleotides     chosen from the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID No. 1 between     positions 2718 and 3910.

The invention also provides:

-   polynucleotides, in particular DNAs, which are capable of     replication and comprise the nucleotide sequence as shown in SEQ ID     No.1; -   polynucleotides which code for polypeptides which comprise the amino     acid sequence as shown in SEQ ID No. 2 or SEQ ID No.3; -   vectors containing parts of the polynucleotide according to the     invention, having at least 15 successive nucleotides of the sequence     claimed, -   and Coryneform bacteria in which the mtrA gene and/or the mtrB gene     is attenuated, in particular by an insertion or deletion.

The invention also provides polynucleotides, which substantially comprise a polynucleotide sequence, which are obtainable by screening by means of hybridization of a corresponding gene library of a Coryneform bacterium, which comprises the complete gene or parts thereof, with a probe which comprises the sequence of the polynucleotide according to the invention according to SEQ ID No.1 or a fragment thereof, and isolation of the polynucleotide sequence mentioned.

Polynucleotides which comprise the sequences according to the invention are suitable as hybridization probes for RNA, cDNA and DNA, in order to isolate, in the full length, nucleic acids or polynucleotides or genes which code for the response regulator MtrA and/or the histidine protein kinase MtrB, or to isolate those nucleic acids or polynucleotides or genes which have a high similarity with the sequence of the mtrA gene and/or the mtrB gene. Additionally, methods employing DNA chips, microarrays or similar recombinant DNA technology that enables high throughput screening of DNA and polynucleotides which encode the glyceraldehydes 3-phosphate dehydrogenase 2 protein or polynucleotides with homology to the gap2 gene as described herein. Such methods are known in the art and are described, for example, in Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, Ausebel et al (eds), John Wiley and Sons, Inc. New York (2000).

Polynucleotides which comprise the sequences according to the invention are furthermore suitable as primers with the aid of which DNA of genes which code for the response regulator MtrA and/or the histidine protein kinase MtrB can be prepared by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Such oligonucleotides which serve as probes or primers comprise at least 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 or 30, preferably at least 20, 21, 22, 23 or 24, very particularly preferably at least 15, 16, 17, 18 or 19 successive nucleotides. Oligonucleotides with a length of at least 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39 or 40 or at least 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, or 50 nucleotides are also suitable. Oligonucleotides with a length of at least 100, 150, 200, 250 or 300 nucleotides are optionally also suitable.

“Isolated” means separated out of its natural environment.

“Polynucleotide” in general relates to polyribonucleotides and polydeoxyribonucleotides, it being possible for these to be non-modified RNA or DNA or modified RNA or DNA.

The polynucleotides according to the invention include a polynucleotide according to SEQ ID No. 1 or a fragment prepared therefrom and also those which are at least 70% to 80%, preferably at least 81% to 85%, particularly preferably at least 86% to 90% and very particularly preferably at least 91%, 93%, 95%, 97% or 99% identical to the polynucleotide according to SEQ ID No. 1 or a fragment prepared therefrom.

“Polypeptides” are understood as meaning peptides or proteins which comprise two or more amino acids bonded via peptide bonds.

The polypeptides according to the invention include a polypeptide according to SEQ ID No. 2 and SEQ ID No. 3, in particular those with the biological activity of the response regulator MtrA and the histidine protein kinase MtrB, and also those which are at least 70% to 80%, preferably at least 81% to 85%, particularly preferably at least 86% to 90% and very particularly preferably at least 91%, 93%, 95%, 97% or 99% identical to the polypeptide according to SEQ ID No. 2 and SEQ ID No. 3 and have the activities mentioned.

The invention furthermore relates to a process for the fermentative preparation of amino acids chosen from the group consisting of L-asparagine, L-threonine, L-serine, L-glutamate, L-glycine, L-alanine, L-cysteine, L-valine, L-methionine, L-isoleucine, L-leucine, L-tyrosine, L-phenylalanine, L-histidine, L-lysine, L-tryptophan and L-arginine using Coryneform bacteria which in particular already produce amino acids and in which the nucleotide sequences which code for the mtrA and/or mtrB gene are attenuated, in particular eliminated or expressed at a low level.

The term “attenuation” in this connection describes the reduction or elimination of the intracellular activity of one or more enzymes (proteins) in a microorganism which are coded by the corresponding DNA, for example by using a weak promoter or using a gene or allele which codes for a corresponding enzyme with a low activity or inactivates the corresponding gene or enzyme (protein), and optionally combining these measures.

By attenuation measures, the activity or concentration of the corresponding protein is in general reduced to 0 to 75%, 0 to 50%, 0 to 25%, 0 to 10% or 0 to 5% of the activity or concentration of the wild-type protein or of the activity or concentration of the protein in the starting microorganism.

Preferably, a bacterial strain with attenuated expression of the mtrA and/or mtrB genes encoding a mtrA response regulator or histidine protein kinase will improve amino acid yield at least 1%.

The microorganisms provided by the present invention can prepare amino acids from glucose, sucrose, lactose, fructose, maltose, molasses, starch, cellulose or from glycerol and ethanol. They can be representatives of coryneform bacteria, in particular of the genus Corynebacterium. Of the genus Corynebacterium, there may be mentioned in particular the species Corynebacterium glutamicum, which is known among experts for its ability to produce L-amino acids.

Suitable strains of the genus Corynebacterium, in particular of the species Corynebacterium glutamicum (C. glutamicum), are in particular the known wild-type strains

-   -   Corynebacterium glutamicum ATCC13032     -   Corynebacterium acetoglutamicum ATCC15806     -   Corynebacterium acetoacidophilum ATCC13870     -   Corynebacterium melassecola ATCC17965     -   Corynebacterium thermoaminogenes FERM BP-1539     -   Brevibacterium flavum ATCC14067     -   Brevibacterium lactofermentum ATCC13869 and     -   Brevibacterium divaricatum ATCC14020         and L-amino acid-producing mutants or strains prepared         therefrom.

The new genes mtrA and mtrB gene of C. glutamicum which code for the response regulator MtrA and the histidine protein kinase MtrB have been isolated. The two proteins are part of a two-component system. Two-component regulation systems are distinguished in that various response regulator proteins can be activated by sensor kinases.

To isolate the mtrA gene, the mtrB gene or also other genes of C. glutamicum, a gene library of this microorganism is first set up in Escherichia coli (E. coli). The setting up of gene libraries is described in generally known textbooks and handbooks. The textbook by Winnacker: Gene und Klone, Eine Einführung in die Gentechnologie (Verlag Chemie, Weinheim, Germany, 1990), or the handbook by Sambrook et al.: Molecular Cloning, A Laboratory Manual (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, 1989) may be mentioned as an example. A well-known gene library is that of the E. coli K-12 strain W3110 set up in λ vectors by Kohara et al. (Cell 50, 495-508 (1987)). Bathe et al. (Molecular and General Genetics, 252:255-265, 1996) describe a gene library of C. glutamicum ATCC13032, which was set up with the aid of the cosmid vector SuperCos I (Wahl et al., 1987, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 84:2160-2164) in the E. coli K-12 strain NM554 (Raleigh et al., 1988, Nucleic Acids Research 16:1563-1575). Börmann et al. (Molecular Microbiology 6(3), 317-326)) (1992)) in turn describe a gene library of C. glutamicum ATCC13032 using the cosmid pHC79 (Hohn and Collins, 1980, Gene 11, 291-298).

To prepare a gene library of C. glutamicum in E. coli it is also possible to use plasmids such as pBR322 (Bolivar, 1979, Life Sciences, 25, 807-818) or pUC9 (Vieira et al., 1982, Gene, 19:259-268). Suitable hosts are, in particular, those E. coli strains which are restriction- and recombination-defective, such as, for example, the strain DH5αmcr, which has been described by Grant et al. (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 87 (1990) 4645-4649). The long DNA fragments cloned with the aid of cosmids or other λ vectors can then in turn be subcloned and subsequently sequenced in the usual vectors which are suitable for DNA sequencing, such as is described e.g. by Sanger et al. (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 74:5463-5467, 1977).

The resulting DNA sequences can then be investigated with known algorithms or sequence analysis programs, such as e.g. that of Staden (Nucleic Acids Research 14, 217-232(1986)), that of Marck (Nucleic Acids Research 16, 1829-1836 (1988)) or the GCG program of Butler (Methods of Biochemical Analysis 39, 74-97 (1998)).

The new DNA sequences of C. glutamicum which code for the mtrA and mtrB genes and which, as SEQ ID No. 1, are a constituent of the present invention have been found. The amino acid sequence of the corresponding protein has furthermore been derived from the present DNA sequence by the methods described above. The resulting amino acid sequences of the mtrA and mtrB gene products are shown in SEQ ID No. 2 and SEQ ID No. 3. It is known that enzymes endogenous in the host can split off the N-terminal amino acid methionine or formylmethionine of the protein formed. Coding DNA sequences which result from SEQ ID No. 1 by the degeneracy of the genetic code are also a constituent of the invention. In the same way, DNA sequences which hybridize with SEQ ID No. 1 or parts of SEQ ID No. 1 are a constituent of the invention. Conservative amino acid exchanges, such as e.g. exchange of glycine for alanine or of aspartic acid for glutamic acid in proteins, are furthermore known among experts as “sense mutations” which do not lead to a fundamental change in the activity of the protein, i.e. are of neutral function. Such mutations are also called, inter alia, neutral substitutions. It is furthermore known that changes on the N and/or C terminus of a protein cannot substantially impair or can even stabilize the function thereof. Information in this context can be found by the expert, inter alia, in Ben-Bassat et al. (Journal of Bacteriology 169:751-757 (1987)), in O'Regan et al. (Gene 77:237-251 (1989)), in Sahin-Toth et al. (Protein Sciences 3:240-247 (1994)), in Hochuli et al. (Bio/Technology 6:1321-1325 (1988)) and in known textbooks of genetics and molecular biology. Amino acid sequences which result in a corresponding manner from SEQ ID No. 2 are also a constituent of the invention.

In the same way, DNA sequences which hybridize with SEQ ID No. 1 or parts of SEQ ID No. 1 are a constituent of the invention. Finally, DNA sequences which are prepared by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using primers which result from SEQ ID No. 1 are a constituent of the invention. Such oligonucleotides typically have a length of at least 15 nucleotides.

Instructions for identifying DNA sequences by means of hybridization can be found by the expert, inter alia, in the handbook “The DIG System Users Guide for Filter Hybridization” from Boehringer Mannheim GmbH (Mannheim, Germany, 1993) and in Liebl et al. (International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology 41: 255-260 (1991)). The hybridization takes place under stringent conditions, that is to say only hybrids in which the probe and target sequence, i. e. the polynucleotides treated with the probe, are at least 70% identical are formed. It is known that the stringency of the hybridization, including the washing steps, is influenced or determined by varying the buffer composition, the temperature and the salt concentration. The hybridization reaction is preferably carried out under a relatively low stringency compared with the washing steps (Hybaid Hybridisation Guide, Hybaid Limited, Teddington, UK, 1996).

A 5×SSC buffer at a temperature of approx. 50° C.-68° C., for example, can be employed for the hybridization reaction. Probes can also hybridize here with polynucleotides which are less than 70% identical to the sequence of the probe. Such hybrids are less stable and are removed by washing under stringent conditions. This can be achieved, for example, by lowering the salt concentration to 2×SSC and optionally subsequently 0.5×SSC (The DIG System User's Guide for Filter Hybridisation, Boehringer Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany, 1995) a temperature of approx. 50° C.-68° C. being established. It is optionally possible to lower the salt concentration to 0.1×SSC. Polynucleotide fragments which are, for example, at least 70% or at least 80% or at least 90% to 95% or at least 96% to 99% identical to the sequence of the probe employed can be isolated by increasing the hybridization temperature stepwise from 50° C. to 68° C. in steps of approx. 1-2° C. It is also possible to isolate polynucleotide fragments which are completely identical to the sequence of the probe employed. Further instructions on hybridization are obtainable on the market in the form of so-called kits (e.g. DIG Easy Hyb from Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Mannheim, Germany, Catalogue No. 1603558).

Instructions for amplification of DNA sequences with the aid of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) can be found by the expert, inter alia, in the handbook by Gait: Oligonucleotide Synthesis: A Practical Approach (IRL Press, Oxford, UK, 1984) and in Newton and Graham: PCR (Spektrum Akademischer Verlag, Heidelberg, Germany, 1994).

It has been found that Coryneform bacteria produce amino acids in an improved manner after attenuation of the mtrA gene and/or the mtrB gene.

To achieve an attenuation, either the expression of the mtrA gene and/or of the mtrB gene or the catalytic or regulatory properties of the enzyme proteins can be reduced or eliminated. The two measures can optionally be combined.

The reduction in gene expression can take place by suitable culturing or by genetic modification (mutation) of the signal structures of gene expression. Signal structures of gene expression are, for example, repressor genes, activator genes, operators, promoters, attenuators, ribosome binding sites, the start codon and terminators. The expert can find information on this e.g. in the patent application WO 96/15246, in Boyd and Murphy (Journal of Bacteriology 170: 5949 (1988)), in Voskuil and Chambliss (Nucleic Acids Research 26: 3548 (1998), in Jensen and Hammer (Biotechnology and Bioengineering 58: 191 (1998)), in Pátek et al. (Microbiology 142: 1297 (1996)), Vasicova et al. (Journal of Bacteriology 181: 6188 (1999)) and in known textbooks of genetics and molecular biology, such as e.g. the textbook by Knippers (“Molekulare Genetik”, 6th edition, Georg Thieme Verlag, Stuttgart, Germany, 1995) or that by Winnacker (“Gene und Klone”, VCH Verlagsgesellschaft, Weinheim, Germany, 1990).

Mutations which lead to a change or reduction in the catalytic properties of enzyme proteins are known from the prior art; examples which may be mentioned are the works by Qiu and Goodman (Journal of Biological Chemistry 272: 8611-8617 (1997)), Sugimoto et al. (Bioscience Biotechnology and Biochemistry 61: 1760-1762 (1997)) and Möckel (“Die Threonindehydratase aus Corynebacterium glutamicum: Aufhebung der allosterischen Regulation und Struktur des Enzyms”, Reports from the Jülich Research Center, Jül-2906, ISSN09442952, Jülich, Germany, 1994). Summarizing descriptions can be found in known textbooks of genetics and molecular biology, such as e.g. that by Hagemann (“Allgemeine Genetik”, Gustav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart, 1986).

Possible mutations are transitions, transversions, insertions and deletions. Depending on the effect of the amino acid exchange on the enzyme activity, “missense mutations” or “nonsense mutations” are referred to. Insertions or deletions of at least one base pair (bp) in a gene lead to frame shift mutations, as a consequence of which incorrect amino acids are incorporated or translation is interrupted prematurely. Deletions of several codons typically lead to a complete loss of the enzyme activity. Instructions on generation of such mutations are prior art and can be found in known textbooks of genetics and molecular biology, such as e.g. the textbook by Knippers (“Molekulare Genetik”, 6th edition, Georg Thieme Verlag, Stuttgart, Germany, 1995), that by Winnacker (“Gene und Klone”, VCH Verlagsgesellschaft, Weinheim, Germany, 1990) or that by Hagemann (“Allgemeine Genetik”, Gustav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart, 1986).

A common method of mutating genes of C. glutamicum is the method of “gene disruption” and “gene replacement” described by Schwarzer and Pühler (Bio/Technology 9, 84-87 (1991)).

In the method of gene disruption a central part of the coding region of the gene of interest is cloned in a plasmid vector which can replicate in a host (typically E. coli), but not in C. glutamicum. Possible vectors are, for example, pSUP301 (Simon et al., Bio/Technology 1, 784-791 (1983)), pK18mob or pK19mob (Schäfer et al., Gene 145, 69-73 (1994)), pK18mobsacB or pK19mobsacB (Jäger et al., Journal of Bacteriology 174: 5462-65 (1992)), pGEM-T (Promega Corporation, Madison, Wis., USA), pCR2.1-TOPO (Shuman (1994). Journal of Biological Chemistry 269:32678-84; U.S. Pat. No. 5,487,993), pCR®Blunt (Invitrogen, Groningen, Holland; Bernard et al., Journal of Molecular Biology, 234: 534-541 (1993)) or pEM1 (Schrumpf et al, 1991, Journal of Bacteriology 173:4510-4516). The plasmid vector which contains the central part of the coding region of the gene is then transferred into the desired strain of C. glutamicum by conjugation or transformation. The method of conjugation is described, for example, by Schäfer et al. (Applied and Environmental Microbiology 60, 756-759 (1994)). Methods for transformation are described, for example, by Thierbach et al. (Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology 29, 356-362 (1988)), Dunican and Shivnan (Bio/Technology 7, 1067-1070 (1989)) and Tauch et al. (FEMS Microbiological Letters 123, 343-347 (1994)). After homologous recombination by means of a “cross-over” event, the coding region of the gene in question is interrupted by the vector sequence and two incomplete alleles are obtained, one lacking the 3′ end and one lacking the 5′ end. This method has been used, for example, by Fitzpatrick et al. (Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology 42, 575-580 (1994)) to eliminate the recA gene of C. glutamicum.

In the method of “gene replacement”, a mutation, such as e.g. a deletion, insertion or base exchange, is established in vitro in the gene of interest. The allele prepared is in turn cloned in a vector which is not replicative for C. glutamicum and this is then transferred into the desired host of C. glutamicum by transformation or conjugation. After homologous recombination by means of a first “cross-over” event which effects integration and a suitable second “cross-over” event which effects excision in the target gene or in the target sequence, the incorporation of the mutation or of the allele is achieved. This method was used, for example, by Peters-Wendisch et al. (Microbiology 144, 915-927 (1998)) to eliminate the pyc gene of C. glutamicum by a deletion.

A deletion, insertion or a base exchange can be incorporated into the mtrA gene and/or the mtrB gene in this manner.

In addition, it may be advantageous for the production of L-amino acids to enhance, in particular over-express, one or more enzymes of the particular biosynthesis pathway, of glycolysis, of anaplerosis, of the citric acid cycle, of the pentose phosphate cycle, of amino acid export and optionally regulatory proteins, in addition to the attenuation of the mtrA gene and/or mtrB gene.

The term “enhancement” in this connection describes the increase in the intracellular activity of one or more enzymes (proteins) in a microorganism which are coded by the corresponding DNA, for example by increasing the number of copies of the gene or genes, using a potent promoter or using a gene or allele which codes for a corresponding enzyme (protein) having a high activity, and optionally combining these measures.

By enhancement measures, in particular over-expression, the activity or concentration of the corresponding protein is in general increased by at least 10%, 25%, 50%, 75%, 100%, 150%, 200%, 300%, 400% or 500%, up to a maximum of 1000% or 2000%, based on that of the wild-type protein or the activity or concentration of the protein in the starting microorganism.

Thus, for the preparation of L-amino acids, in addition to the attenuation of the mtrA gene and/or the mtrB gene at the same time one or more of the genes chosen from the group consisting of

-   the dapA gene which codes for dihydrodipicolinate synthase (EP-B 0     197 335), -   the gap gene which codes for glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate     dehydrogenase (Eikmanns (1992), Journal of Bacteriology     174:6076-6086), -   the tpi gene which codes for triose phosphate isomerase (Eikmanns     (1992), Journal of Bacteriology 174:6076-6086), -   the pgk gene which codes for 3-phosphoglycerate kinase (Eikmanns     (1992), Journal of Bacteriology 174:6076-6086), -   the zwf gene which codes for glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase     (JP-A-09224661), -   the pyc gene which codes for pyruvate carboxylase (DE-A-198 31 609), -   the mqo gene which codes for malate-quinone oxidoreductase (Molenaar     et al., European Journal of Biochemistry 254, 395-403 (1998)), -   the lysC gene which codes for a feed-back resistant aspartate kinase     (Accession No.P26512; EP-B-0387527; EP-A-0699759; WO 00/63388), -   the lysE gene which codes for lysine export (DE-A-195 48 222), -   the hom gene which codes for homoserine dehydrogenase (EP-A     0131171), -   the ilvA gene which codes for threonine dehydratase (Möckel et al.,     Journal of Bacteriology (1992) 8065-8072)) or the ilvA(Fbr) allele     which codes for a “feed back resistant” threonine dehydratase     (Möckel et al., (1994) Molecular Microbiology 13: 833-842), -   the ilvBN gene which codes for acetohydroxy-acid synthase (EP-B     0356739), -   the ilvD gene which codes for dihydroxy-acid dehydratase (Sahm and     Eggeling (1999) Applied and Environmental Microbiology 65:     1973-1979), -   the zwa1 gene which codes for the Zwa1 protein (DE: 19959328.0, DSM     13115)     can be enhanced, in particular over-expressed.

It may furthermore be advantageous for the production of amino acids, in addition to the attenuation of the mtrA gene and/or the mtrB gene, at the same time for one or more of the genes chosen from the group consisting of

-   the pck gene which codes for phosphoenol pyruvate carboxykinase (DE     199 50 409.1, DSM 13047), -   the pgi gene which codes for glucose 6-phosphate isomerase (U.S.     Ser. No. 09/396,478, DSM 12969), -   the poxB gene which codes for pyruvate oxidase (DE:1995 1975.7, DSM     13114), -   the zwa2 gene which codes for the Zwa2 protein (DE: 19959327.2, DSM     13113)     to be attenuated, in particular for the expression thereof to be     reduced.

In addition to the attenuation of the mtrA gene and/or the mtrB gene it may furthermore be advantageous for the production of amino acids to eliminate undesirable side reactions (Nakayama: “Breeding of Amino Acid Producing Microorganisms”, in: Overproduction of Microbial Products, Krumphanzl, Sikyta, Vanek (eds.), Academic Press, London, UK, 1982).

The invention also provides the microorganisms prepared according to the invention, and these can be cultured continuously or discontinuously in the batch process (batch culture) or in the fed batch (feed process) or repeated fed batch process (repetitive feed process) for the purpose of production of L-amino acids. A summary of known culture methods is described in the textbook by Chmiel (Bioprozesstechnik 1. Einführung in die Bioverfahrenstechnik (Gustav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart, 1991)) or in the textbook by Storhas (Bioreaktoren und periphere Einrichtungen (Vieweg Verlag, Braunschweig/Wiesbaden, 1994)).

The culture medium to be used must meet the requirements of the particular strains in a suitable manner. Descriptions of culture media for various microorganisms are contained in the handbook “Manual of Methods for General Bacteriology” of the American Society for Bacteriology (Washington D.C., USA, 1981).

Sugars and carbohydrates, such as e.g. glucose, sucrose, lactose, fructose, maltose, molasses, starch and cellulose, oils and fats, such as, for example, soya oil, sunflower oil, groundnut oil and coconut fat, fatty acids, such as, for example, palmitic acid, stearic acid and linoleic acid, alcohols, such as, for example, glycerol and ethanol, and organic acids, such as, for example, acetic acid, can be used as the source of carbon. These substances can be used individually or as a mixture.

Organic nitrogen-containing compounds, such as peptones, yeast extract, meat extract, malt extract, corn steep liquor, soya bean flour and urea, or inorganic compounds, such as ammonium sulfate, ammonium chloride, ammonium phosphate, ammonium carbonate and ammonium nitrate, can be used as the source of nitrogen. The sources of nitrogen can be used individually or as a mixture.

Phosphoric acid, potassium dihydrogen phosphate or dipotassium hydrogen phosphate or the corresponding sodium-containing salts can be used as the source of phosphorus. The culture medium must furthermore comprise salts of metals, such as, for example, magnesium sulfate or iron sulfate, which are necessary for growth. Finally, essential growth substances, such as amino acids and vitamins, can be employed in addition to the above-mentioned substances. Suitable precursors can moreover be added to the culture medium. The starting substances mentioned can be added to the culture in the form of a single batch, or can be fed in during the culture in a suitable manner.

Basic compounds, such as sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, ammonia or aqueous ammonia, or acid compounds, such as phosphoric acid or sulfuric acid, can be employed in a suitable manner to control the pH of the culture. Antifoams, such as, for example, fatty acid polyglycol esters, can be employed to control the development of foam. Suitable substances having a selective action, such as, for example, antibiotics, can be added to the medium to maintain the stability of plasmids. To maintain aerobic conditions, oxygen or oxygen-containing gas mixtures, such as, for example, air, are introduced into the culture. The temperature of the culture is usually 20° C. to 45° C., and preferably 25° C. to 40° C. Culturing is continued until a maximum of the desired product has formed. This target is usually reached within 10 hours to 160 hours.

Methods for the determination of L-amino acids are known from the prior art. The analysis can thus be carried out, for example, as described by Spackman et al. (Analytical Chemistry, 30, (1958), 1190) by anion exchange chromatography with subsequent ninhydrin derivation, or it can be carried out by reversed phase HPLC, for example as described by Lindroth et al. (Analytical Chemistry (1979) 51: 1167-1174).

The process according to the invention is used for fermentative preparation of amino acids.

The following microorganisms were deposited as a pure culture on 11 Apr. 2001 at the Deutsche Sammlung für Mikroorganismen und Zellkulturen (DSMZ=German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, Braunschweig, Germany) in accordance with the Budapest Treaty:

-   Escherichia coli Top10/pCR2.1mtrAint as DSM 14227, -   Escherichia coli Top10/pCR2.1mtrBint as DSM 14228.

The present invention is explained in more detail in the following with the aid of embodiment examples.

The isolation of plasmid DNA from Escherichia coli and all techniques of restriction, Klenow and alkaline phosphatase treatment were carried out by the method of Sambrook et al. (Molecular Cloning. A Laboratory Manual, 1989, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., USA). Methods for transformation of Escherichia coli are also described in this handbook.

The composition of the usual nutrient media, such as LB or TY medium, can also be found in the handbook by Sambrook et al.

Having generally described this invention, a further understanding can be obtained by reference to certain specific examples which are provided herein for purposes of illustration only, and are not intended to be limiting unless otherwise specified.

EXAMPLE 1

Preparation of a Genomic Cosmid Gene Library from C. glutamicum ATCC 13032

Chromosomal DNA from C. glutamicum ATCC 13032 is isolated as described by Tauch et al. (1995, Plasmid 33:168-179) and partly cleaved with the restriction enzyme Sau3AI (Amersham Pharmacia, Freiburg, Germany, Product Description Sau3AI, Code no. 27-0913-02). The DNA fragments are dephosphorylated with shrimp alkaline phosphatase (Roche Molecular Biochemicals, Mannheim, Germany, Product Description SAP, Code no. 1758250). The DNA of the cosmid vector SuperCos1 (Wahl et al. (1987), Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA 84:2160-2164), obtained from Stratagene (La Jolla, USA, Product Description SuperCos1 Cosmid Vector Kit, Code no. 251301) is cleaved with the restriction enzyme XbaI (Amersham Pharmacia, Freiburg, Germany, Product Description XbaI, Code no. 27-0948-02) and likewise dephosphorylated with shrimp alkaline phosphatase.

The cosmid DNA is then cleaved with the restriction enzyme BamHI (Amersham Pharmacia, Freiburg, Germany, Product Description BamHI, Code no. 27-0868-04). The cosmid DNA treated in this manner is mixed with the treated ATCC13032 DNA and the batch is treated with T4 DNA ligase (Amersham Pharmacia, Freiburg, Germany, Product Description T4-DNA-Ligase, Code no.27-0870-04). The ligation mixture is then packed in phages with the aid of Gigapack II XL Packing Extract (Stratagene, La Jolla, USA, Product Description Gigapack II XL Packing Extract, Code no. 200217).

For infection of the E. coli strain NM554 (Raleigh et al. 1988, Nucleic Acids Res. 16:1563-1575) the cells are taken up in 10 mM MgSO₄ and mixed with an aliquot of the phage suspension. The infection and titering of the cosmid library are carried out as described by Sambrook et al. (1989, Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor), the cells being plated out on LB agar (Lennox, 1955, Virology, 1:190)+100 mg/l ampicillin. After incubation overnight at 37° C., recombinant individual clones are selected.

EXAMPLE 2

Isolation and Sequencing of the mtrA and mtrB Genes

The cosmid DNA of an individual colony is isolated with the Qiaprep Spin Miniprep Kit (Product No. 27106, Qiagen, Hilden, Germany) in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions and partly cleaved with the restriction enzyme Sau3AI (Amersham Pharmacia, Freiburg, Germany, Product Description Sau3AI, Product No. 27-0913-02). The DNA fragments are dephosphorylated with shrimp alkaline phosphatase (Roche Molecular Biochemicals, Mannheim, Germany, Product Description SAP, Product No. 1758250). After separation by gel electrophoresis, the cosmid fragments in the size range of 1500 to 2000 bp are isolated with the QiaExII Gel Extraction Kit (Product No. 20021, Qiagen, Hilden, Germany).

The DNA of the sequencing vector pZero-1, obtained from Invitrogen (Groningen, The Netherlands, Product Description Zero Background Cloning Kit, Product No. K2500-01) is cleaved with the restriction enzyme BamHI (Amersham Pharmacia, Freiburg, Germany, Product Description BamHI, Product No. 27-0868-04). The ligation of the cosmid fragments in the sequencing vector pZero-1 is carried out as described by Sambrook et al. (1989, Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor), the DNA mixture being incubated overnight with T4 ligase (Pharmacia Biotech, Freiburg, Germany). This ligation mixture is then electroporated (Tauch et al. 1994, FEMS Microbiol. Letters, 123:343-7) into the E. coli strain DH5αmcr (Grant, 1990, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, U.S.A., 87:4645-4649). Letters, 123:343-7) and plated out on LB agar (Lennox, 1955, Virology, 1:190) with 50 mg/l zeocin.

The plasmid preparation of the recombinant clones is carried out with a Biorobot 9600 (Product No. 900200, Qiagen, Hilden, Germany). The sequencing is carried out by the dideoxy chain-stopping method of Sanger et al. (1977, Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences, U.S.A., 74:5463-5467) with modifications according to Zimmermann et al. (1990, Nucleic Acids Research, 18:1067). The “RR dRhodamin Terminator Cycle Sequencing Kit” from PE Applied Biosystems (Product No. 403044, Weiterstadt, Germany) was used. The separation by gel electrophoresis and analysis of the sequencing reaction are carried out in a “Rotiphoresis NF Acrylamide/Bisacrylamidell” Gel (29:1) (Product No. A124.1, Roth, Karlsruhe, Germany) with the “ABI Prism 377” sequencer from PE Applied Biosystems (Weiterstadt, Germany).

The raw sequence data obtained are then processed using the Staden program package (1986, Nucleic Acids Research, 14:217-231) version 97-0. The individual sequences of the pzerol derivatives are assembled to a continuous contig. The computer-assisted coding region analysis is prepared with the XNIP program (Staden, 1986, Nucleic Acids Research 14:217-231). Further analyses are carried out with the “BLAST search program” (Altschul et al., 1997, Nucleic Acids Research, 25:3389-3402) against the non-redundant databank of the “National Center for Biotechnology Information” (NCBI, Bethesda, Md., USA).

The resulting nucleotide sequence is shown in SEQ ID No. 1. Analysis of the nucleotide sequence shows two open reading frames of 681 base pairs and 1512 base pairs, which are called the mtrA gene and mtrB gene. The mtrA gene codes for a polypeptide of 226 amino acids. The mtrB gene codes for a polypeptide of 503 amino acids.

EXAMPLE 3

Preparation of Integration Vectors for Integration Mutagenesis of the mtrA and mtrB Genes

From the strain ATCC 13032, chromosomal DNA is isolated by the method of Eikmanns et al. (Microbiology 140: 1817-1828 (1994)). On the basis of the sequence of the mtrA and mtrB genes known for C. glutamicum from Example 2, the following oligonucleotides are chosen for the polymerase chain reaction (SEQ ID NOS:4, 5, 6, and 7):

mtrA-int1: 5′ TGA TGC TTC CAG GCA TGA AC 3′ mtrA-int2: 5′ GAT CGC CGA CTT CGA TGA TT 3′ mtrB-int1: 5′ ACG ATG ACC TGG TGG TCT CT 3′ mtrB-int2: 5′ GAC TCG AAT CGG TCC AAC TC 3′

The primers shown are synthesized by MWG Biotech (Ebersberg, Germany) and the PCR reaction is carried out by the standard PCR method of Innis et al. (PCR Protocols. A Guide to Methods and Applications, 1990, Academic Press) with the Taq-polymerase from Boehringer Mannheim (Germany, Product Description Taq DNA polymerase, Product No. 1 146 165). With the aid of the polymerase chain reaction, the primers allow amplification of an internal fragment of the mtrA gene 237 bp in size and of an internal fragment of the mtrB gene 634 bp in size. The products amplified in this way are tested electrophoretically in a 0.8% agarose gel.

The amplified DNA fragments are ligated with the TOPO TA Cloning Kit from Invitrogen Corporation (Carlsbad, Calif., USA; Catalogue Number K4500-01) in each case in the vector pCR2.1-TOPO (Mead at al. (1991) Bio/Technology 9:657-663). The E. coli strain TOP10 is then electroporated with the ligation batches (Hanahan, In: DNA cloning. A Practical Approach. Vol. I, IRL-Press, Oxford, Washington D.C., USA, 1985). Selection for plasmid-carrying cells is made by plating out the transformation batch on LB agar (Sambrook et al., Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual. 2^(nd) Ed., Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., 1989), which has been supplemented with 50 mg/l kanamycin. Plasmid DNA is isolated from in each case a transformant with the aid of the QIAprep Spin Miniprep Kit from Qiagen and checked by restriction with the restriction enzyme EcoRI and subsequent agarose gel electrophoresis (0.8%). The plasmids are called pCR2.1mtrAint and pCR2.1mtrBint and are shown in FIG. 1 and in FIG. 2.

EXAMPLE 4

Integration Mutagenesis of the mtrA Gene in the Strain DSM 5715

The vector pCR2.1mtrAint mentioned in Example 3 is electroporated by the electroporation method of Tauch et al.(FEMS Microbiological Letters, 123:343-347 (1994)) in Corynebacterium glutamicum DSM 5715. The strain DSM 5715 is an AEC-resistant lysine producer. The vector pCR2.1mtrAint cannot replicate independently in DSM5715 and is retained in the cell only if it has integrated into the chromosome of DSM 5715. Selection of clones with pCR2.1mtrAint integrated into the chromosome is carried out by plating out the electroporation batch on LB agar (Sambrook et al., Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual. 2^(nd) Ed., Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.), which has been supplemented with 15 mg/l kanamycin.

For detection of the integration, the mtrAint fragment is labeled with the Dig hybridization kit from Boehringer by the method of “The DIG System Users Guide for Filter Hybridization” of Boehringer Mannheim GmbH (Mannheim, Germany, 1993). Chromosomal DNA of a potential integrant is isolated by the method of Eikmanns et al. (Microbiology 140: 1817-1828 (1994)) and in each case cleaved with the restriction enzymes KpnI, EcoRI and PstI. The fragments formed are separated by means of agarose gel electrophoresis and hybridized at 68° C. with the Dig hybridization kit from Boehringer. The plasmid pCR2.1mtrAint mentioned in Example 3 has been inserted into the chromosome of DSM5715 within the chromosomal mtrA gene. The strain is called DSM5715::pCR2.1mtrAint.

EXAMPLE 5

Integration Mutagenesis of the mtrB Gene in the Strain DSM 5175

The vector pCR2.1mtrBint mentioned in Example 3 is electroporated by the electroporation method of Tauch et al. (FEMS Microbiological Letters, 123:343-347 (1994)) in Corynebacterium glutamicum DSM 5715. The strain DSM 5715 is an AEC-resistant lysine producer. The vector pCR2.1mtrBint cannot replicate independently in DSM5715 and is retained in the cell only if it has integrated into the chromosome of DSM 5715. Selection of clones with pCR2.1mtrBint integrated into the chromosome is carried out by plating out the electroporation batch on LB agar (Sambrook et al., Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual. 2^(nd) Ed., Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.), which has been supplemented with 15 mg/l kanamycin.

For detection of the integration, the mtrBint fragment is labeled with the Dig hybridization kit from Boehringer by the method of “The DIG System Users Guide for Filter Hybridization” of Boehringer Mannheim GmbH (Mannheim, Germany, 1993). Chromosomal DNA of a potential integrant is isolated by the method of Eikmanns et al. (Microbiology 140: 1817-1828 (1994)) and in each case cleaved with the restriction enzymes KpnI, EcoRI and PstI. The fragments formed are separated by means of agarose gel electrophoresis and hybridized at 68° C. with the Dig hybridization kit from Boehringer. The plasmid pCR2.1mtrBint mentioned in Example 3 has been inserted into the chromosome of DSM5715 within the chromosomal mtrB gene. The strain is called DSM5715::pCR2.1mtrBint.

EXAMPLE 6

Preparation of Lysine

The C. glutamicum strain DSM5715::pCR2.1mtrBint obtained in Example 5 is cultured in a nutrient medium suitable for the production of lysine and the lysine content in the culture supernatant is determined.

For this, the strain is first incubated on an agar plate with the corresponding antibiotic (brain-heart agar with kanamycin 25 mg/l) for 24 hours at 33° C. Starting from this agar plate culture, a preculture is seeded (10 ml medium in a 100 ml conical flask). The complete medium Cg III is used as the medium for the preculture.

Medium Cg III NaCl 2.5 g/l Bacto-Peptone 10 g/l Bacto-Yeast extract 10 g/l Glucose (autoclaved separately) 2% (w/v) The pH is brought to pH 7.4

Kanamycin (25 mg/l) is added to this. The preculture is incubated for 16 hours at 33° C. at 240 rpm on a shaking machine. A main culture us seeded from this preculture such that the initial OD (660 nm) of the main culture is 0.1. Medium MM is used for the main culture.

Medium MM CSL (corn steep liquor) 5 g/l MOPS (morpholinopropanesulfonic acid) 20 g/l Glucose (autoclaved separately) 50 g/l Salts: (NH₄)₂SO₄ 25 g/l KH₂PO₄ 0.1 g/l MgSO₄*7 H₂O 1.0 g/l CaCl₂*2 H₂O 10 mg/l FeSO₄*7 H₂O 10 mg/l MnSO₄*H₂O 5.0 mg/l Biotin (sterile-filtered) 0.3 mg/l Thiamine*HCl (sterile-filtered) 0.2 mg/l Leucine (sterile-filtered) 0.1 g/l CaCO₃ 25 g/l

The CSL, MOPS and the salt solution are brought to pH 7 with aqueous ammonia and autoclaved. The sterile substrate and vitamin solutions are then added, and the CaCO₃ autoclaved in the dry state is added.

Culturing is carried out in a 10 ml volume in 100 ml conical flasks with baffles. Kanamycin (25 mg/l) was added. Culturing is carried out at 33° C. and 80% atmospheric humidity.

After 72 hours, the OD is determined at a measurement wavelength of 660 nm with a Biomek 1000 (Beckmann Instruments GmbH, Munich). The amount of lysine formed is determined with an amino acid analyzer from Eppendorf-BioTronik (Hamburg, Germany) by ion exchange chromatography and post-column derivation with ninhydrin detection.

The result of the experiment is shown in Table 1.

TABLE 1 OD Lysine HCl Strain (660 nm) g/l DSM5715 12.2 13.59 DSM5715::pCR2.1mtrBint 11.9 14.54

The abbreviations and designations used have the following meaning.

KmR: Kanamycin resistance gene KpnI: Cleavage site of the restriction enzyme KpnI EcoRI: Cleavage site of the restriction enzyme EcoRI PstI: Cleavage site of the restriction enzyme PstI mtrAint: Internal fragment of the mtrA gene mtrBint: Internal fragment of the mtrB gene ColE1: Replication origin of the plasmid ColE1

The present application claims priority to German Application No. DE 10057802.0, which was filed on Nov. 11, 2001 and German Application No. DE 10125089.4, which was filed on May 23, 2001; the entire contents of both documents are incorporated herein by reference.

Obviously, numerous modifications and variations on the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. 

1. An isolated polynucleotide, which encodes a protein comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:3.
 2. The isolated polynucleotide of claim 1, wherein said protein has histidine protein kinase activity.
 3. A vector comprising the isolated polynucleotide of claim
 1. 4. An isolated host cell comprising the isolated polynucleotide of claim
 1. 5. An isolated host cell of claim 4, which is a coryneform bacterium.
 6. An isolated host cell of claim 4, wherein said host cell is selected from the group consisting of Corynebacterium glutamicum, Corynebacterium acetoglutamicum, Corynebacterium acetoacidophilum, Corynebacterium melassecola, Corynebacterium thermoaminogenes, Brevibacterium flavum, Brevibacterium lactofermentum, and Brevibacterium divaricatum.
 7. A method for making histidine protein kinase, comprising culturing a host cell comprising an isolated polynucleotide which encodes a protein consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2 for a time and under conditions suitable for expression of the histidiine protein kinase; and collecting the histidine protein kinase.
 8. An isolated polynucleotide, which comprises SEQ ID NO:1.
 9. An isolated polynucleotide, which is fully complimentary to the polynucleotide of claim
 8. 10. An isolated polynucleotide, which is at least 95% identical to SEQ ID NO: 1 and encodes a protein having histidine protein kinase activity.
 11. An isolated polynucleotide, which is at least 97% identical to SEQ ID NO: 1 and encodes a protein having histidine protein kinase activity.
 12. An isolated polynucleotide, which is at least 99% identical to SEQ ID NO: 1 and encodes a protein having histidine protein kinase activity.
 13. An isolated polynucleotide fragment of SEQ ID NO: 1, wherein said fragment consists of at least 21 consecutive nucleotides of SEQ ID NO:
 1. 14. An isolated polynucleotide, which hybridizes under stringent conditions to the complementary sequence of claim 8; wherein said stringent conditions comprise washing in 0.5×SSC at a temperature of 68° C. and wherein said hybridization is performed at a lower stringency than said washing and wherein said polynucleotide encodes a protein having histidine protein kinase activity.
 15. The isolated polynucleotide of claim 8, which encodes a protein having response regulator activity.
 16. The isolated polynucleotide of claim 8, which encodes a protein having histidine protein kinase activity.
 17. A vector comprising the isolated polynucleotide of claim
 8. 18. An isolated host cell comprising the isolated polynucleotide of claim
 8. 19. An isolated host cell of claim 18, which is a Coryneform bacterium.
 20. An isolated host cell of claim 18, wherein said host cell is selected from the group consisting of Corynebacterium glutamicum, Corynebacterium acetoglutamicum, Corynebacterium acetoacidophilum, Corynebacterium melassecola, Corynebacterium thermoaminogenes, Brevibacterium flavum, Brevibacterium lactofermentum, and Brevibacterium divaricatum.
 21. A process for screening for polynucleotides, which encode a protein having response regulator activity comprising a) hybridizing the isolated polynucleotide of claim 8 to the polynucleotide to be screened; b) expressing the polynucleotide to produce a protein; and c) detecting the presence or absence of response regulator activity in said protein.
 22. A process for screening for polynucleotides, which encode a protein having histidine protein kinase activity comprising a) hybridizing the isolated polynucleotide of claim 8 to the polynucleotide to be screened; b) expressing the polynucleotide to produce a protein; and c) detecting the presence or absence of histidine protein kinase activity in said protein.
 23. A method for making a response regulator protein, comprising a) culturing the host cell of claim 18 for a time and under conditions suitable for expression of the response regulator protein; and b) collecting the response regulator protein.
 24. A method for making a histidine protein kinase, comprising a) culturing the host cell of claim 18 for a time and under conditions suitable for expression of the histidine protein kinase; and b) collecting the histidine protein kinase.
 25. An isolated polynucleotide comprising nucleotides 1310-2818 of SEQ ID NO:1.
 26. A vector comprising the isolated polynucleotide of claim
 25. 27. An isolated host cell comprising the isolated polynucleotide of claim
 25. 28. A method of making a histidine protein kinase, comprising culturing the host cell of claim 27 for a time and under conditions suitable for expression of the histidine protein kinase; and collecting said histidine protein kinase.
 29. An isolated polynucleotide, which hybridizes under stringent conditions to the complementary sequence of claim 8, wherein said stringent conditions comprise washing in 0.1×SSC at a temperature of 68° C. and wherein said hybridization is performed at a lower stringency than said washing and wherein said polynucleotide encodes a protein having histidine protein kinase activity. 